Run and Gun
by OhBuddy66
Summary: Deeks has disappeared from the mission. It's early evening and no one has seen him for a little while. Kensi and the guys, along with Eric and Nell, go looking for their detective friend. All of them are more than a little shocked when they find him...


**Run and Gun**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing my favorite characters.**

 _ **Author's note: This story came about from a chat I had with CoastalReader, who told me about a dream they had about Deeks disappearing from the mission one evening and why. Once I heard the details, I knew I had to write a story about it. I hope you enjoy it...  
**_

 **Chapter 1**

Kensi glanced over at her partner's desk. She found herself a bit annoyed that it was empty, but yet here she sat with Sam and Callen at their respective desks. Ever since Kensi said she needed a night off once in a while; after that first night, Deeks seemed more than willing to oblige. Now she wondered if he was enjoying his space a little too much. This was supposed to be one of their nights off, and he had disappeared without so much as a goodbye? She grimaced slightly, letting her eyes fall to her own desktop. A sigh escaped her lips. Sam caught the look on her face and smiled.

"What's the matter, Kensalino, your partner go AWOL on you?" Sam asked with a smirk on his face. Since it became common knowledge that she and Deeks were a couple, the senior agents never passed up an opportunity to tease them both. It was all in good fun, though.

Callen looked up from his paperwork, a grin plastered on his face as his partner waited for a response from the brunette. He turned to Kensi, surprised to see that she was not taking the ribbing well this time.

"Come on, Kens, you really that worried about him?" Callen offered as she sat there tight lipped.

She looked at Callen and then across to Sam. She placed her hands on her desk and pushed her chair back, standing quickly.

"It's just not like him to up and leave without saying anything. I mean, we've all been here doing paperwork or training all day! The last time I saw him we were in the armory. He said nothing about leaving. That was almost an hour ago. I'm going to go ask Hetty if she knows where he is," she said when she spied their boss settling in at her desk across the mission.

As she stalked away Sam peered over at Callen, his brow raised and a smirk on his face. Callen returned his partner's look with one of his own before both chuckled and shook their heads.

"Never thought I'd see the day that Kensi Marie Blye would worry about a man, G," Sam joked.

"Oh, I'm sorry - I thought we were talking about Deeks here," Callen replied, a big smile on his face.

Sam laughed loudly, pointing in Callen's direction. "Good one, partner. You know he's good for her, though. They make each other better."

"I know, Sam," Callen sighed, looking over to where Kensi now sat with her back to them. "It still seems weird to me, though," he shook his head.

* * *

"Ms. Blye, have a seat. What can I do for you, my dear? I sense that something is troubling you," Hetty asked of her female agent.

"Thanks, Hetty," Kensi said as she sat down. She eyed her boss for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and then just asked outright, "Hetty, do you know where Deeks is?"

Hetty tipped her head slightly, pointing to the woman sitting across the desk from her. "You're asking _me_ where _your_ partner is, Ms. Blye?"

Kensi huffed out a breath and nodded. "I know I shouldn't be worried, Hetty. It's just... Um, you know what? Never mind. Sorry to bother you!" Kensi stood quickly and headed for the stairs before her boss could say anything else.

Hetty watched her brunette agent take the stairs two at a time, a chuckle escaping her lips as she grinned. Little did Kensi know that Hetty was indeed aware of where Mr. Deeks was, she just hadn't waited long enough for an answer.

Sam and Callen watched from the bullpen. Not having heard the two's exchange, they were worried now, too, when Kensi made a bee-line for Ops. She didn't even look their way as she flew up the stairs. Sharing a quick glance, they both jumped from their chairs and ran up the stairs, as well. Hetty watched her senior agents disappear, shaking her head as they did. Mr. Deeks would certainly enjoy knowing his absence was so obviously noticed by his three teammates, not that she would ever tell him.

When they entered, they found Nell and Kensi standing behind Eric while he searched for Deeks' location via the GPS in his phone. After a failed attempt at calling Deeks and letting it ring until it went to voicemail, Kensi had threatened Eric with bodily harm if he didn't locate her partner for her.

"Okay, I've got him," Eric proclaimed hesitantly, although with a bit of pride.

Kensi tensed up, fearing the worst for no good reason. "Where is he, Eric?"

"Um...he's downtown at that new sports complex," he said curiously.

Nell's eyes lit up as she turned to Kensi. "Isn't that where Shaggy's friend Kip and his team practice, Kens?"

Kensi's brow furrowed, her lips squeezed tightly. She was relieved to know that her boyfriend was okay. She was pissed he was apparently spending some quality time with his buddy Kip without her. He was going to pay for this, she just had to figure out how.

"Yeah, uh...yeah, I guess it is," she agreed cautiously, still plotting in her head how she would make Deeks' life miserable for not including her - or the team - in a night of fun in his basketball star friend's world. Then it dawned on her - it was her brilliant idea to have a night off once in a while. This was their night off. Yeah, she shook her head quickly, she really needed to rethink that.

Callen looked at Sam, a smirk on his face. He could tell Kensi was upset with her partn...her boyfriend, he corrected himself.

"What are you thinking, G? I can tell something is going on in that head of yours," Sam chuckled.

"Sam, I think it's time we had that talk with Deeks, don't you?" Callen asked.

"Oh, you mean like - the 'big brother' talk?"

Callen nodded once. "That's the one, partner."

Sam was beaming. He glanced at Kensi, then back to Callen. "I feel you, G. I think it _is_ time," he nodded back, slapping his partner on the shoulder.

Kensi was grinning from ear to ear. The thought of seeing Deeks squirming under Callen and Sam's big brother act seemed quite appealing all of a sudden. "This I've got to see," she said all too willingly.

"When should we pay him a visit, Sam?" Callen wondered aloud.

"There's no time like the present, " Sam grinned.

Callen smiled, but then asked, "How will we get in, though? Aren't those places closed to the public?"

Kensi rolled her eyes at the senior agent's question. Sam caught her expression.

"You have a plan, Kensi?" He questioned her.

"Guys, come on. We're _federal agents,_ " she flashed her badge in their faces, stealing a move from Deeks' playbook, "let's go!"

"Hey, wait! We want to come along, too!" Nell declared, smacking Eric on the back. He jumped at her touch, his brow raised as he pushed his glasses back up.

"We do?" He asked, nervous at the thought of having to admit to Deeks it was his fault the team found him. The look on Nell's face changed his mind quickly as she gave him her version of Hetty's Gorgon stare. "I mean, we do! Uh, yeah...of...of course we do!" He wisely agreed.

Nell's eyes sparkled, her excited grin melting Eric's defenses even more. Unbeknownst to Eric, her enthusiasm had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the prospect of getting to meet Kip Brigham. After Kensi's description of the star after her first meeting with him, Nell couldn't wait to see him with her own two eyes.

"That's settled, then. Shall we?" Callen started for the door, the rest of the team falling in line behind him.

"Oh, we shall!" Kensi added with sarcastic humor. She could not wait to confront Deeks and see the look of worry on his face as Sam and Callen had their way with him.

* * *

Twenty five minutes later the five of them stood outside the complex. It was huge. It took them a few moments to figure out where to even enter. Once they did, the security guard that stopped them fell under the charm of the two females as they showed their ID's to him. They didn't even have to come up with a story about why they were there. The guard smiled flirtatiously at Kensi and Nell as he let them all pass, wishing them well as he did. Callen and Sam smirked at each other, while Eric looked scared to death. Kensi and Nell had smug looks on their faces as they strode towards the sound of bouncing balls and squeaking sneakers.

"Guys, what do you think? Go up for a better vantage point?" Kensi posed the question to Sam and Callen.

Sam nodded, sharing a knowing look with his partner. "Yeah. But not too far. Just enough to keep us from being obvious to the team on the floor. Deeks is probably on the bench watching from there," he suggested.

They saw the team shooting hoops through a couple of open doors but they didn't stop long enough to see if they could find Deeks. As they made their way up a flight of stairs, whistles were heard and it became eerily quiet in the cavernous arena. Soon, they could hear the coaches yelling directions. After a few moments what sounded like a game began. Lots of footsteps, shouting, and bouncing could be heard echoing up to their location. They found a tunnel to walk through and it led them to the seating area. They had emerged behind the bench on one end of the arena. They walked to the first row of seats on the second level and sat down.

The scene before them looked much like a game you might see going on at a local high school gym class or a city park, with the exception that these players were professionals. They were playing shirts against skins. The Skins' basket was on the end of the floor that Kensi and the others were sitting. She picked out Kip right away. Someone had passed him the ball and he had launched a long three pointer from well beyond the arc, hitting nothing but net. As everyone began running the other way, two Shirts stayed behind. One stepped out under the basket and threw the ball back in bounds to the other. They both immediately began sprinting for the other end as their teammates worked for position.

Kensi and the gang were so focused on finding their detective on the bench that none of them noticed the guy dribbling the ball up the court was Deeks. That was until Sam finally saw him.

He pointed as it was still registering in his brain what he was seeing. "Damn, there he is!" Sam exclaimed as their blond haired detective tossed a no-look pass to his left, pulling up at the top of the key. Just as everyone else looked to see where Sam was pointing, the player passed the ball back to Deeks as he drove down the center of the lane. He led Deeks high so no one else could reach it. Deeks caught the ball on the run with one hand. He launched himself towards the basket, and in Jordanesque style, slammed the ball through the hoop with force, hanging on the rim to let the guys clear out underneath him. His teammates cheered as the guy who gave him the assist approached him for a high five as they ran back up the floor on defense.

Sam and Callen both sat with shocked looks on their faces as they watched Deeks run defense with the team. They were in man to man coverage and Deeks was on Kip. They both knew, just as Kensi did, that Kip led the league in scoring. Deeks, though, was all over his buddy and Kip was getting frustrated. Eric just sat there, stunned. Between seeing Deeks' level of play and noticing Nell watching every move a shirtless Kip Brigham made, he was silent. Kensi had all but forgotten the big brother talk. She was dumbfounded after seeing just that one play; her partner/ _boyfriend_ throwing down a thunderous dunk over a professional NBA player like it was nothing. He never played like that with them back at their own gym - ever.

A shout from the floor brought her back to reality. The whole NCIS team watched, awestruck, as their liaison stole a pass from Kip and headed for the other basket. With his left hand he pointed at one of his teammates as he dribbled up the floor. The player waved in acknowledgement. With a quick flick of his wrists Deeks made a two handed pass from just inside the half court line on a dead run to the man streaking to the basket. At first, his NCIS team thought Deeks had taken an errant shot, but the player jumped at the last second and caught the alley-oop pass from Deeks. Without looking, he dunked the ball over his head - backwards, with both hands - to the delight of everyone present.

The game continued. It was a full on scrimmage between the starters, led by Kip, against the back up players led by Deeks. So far it was no contest. Deeks and the second string were annihilating Kip and his starters. The head coach shook his head every time Deeks led the Shirts down the floor, picking apart the defense with ease and scoring at will. If Deeks wasn't making spectacular passes or dishing assists, he was draining three pointers or making easy layups on fast breaks.

Deeks' NCIS team heard some voices coming from behind them. Kensi, Sam and Callen all glanced to see who it was. There were three men, all in suits, standing several rows back watching the spectacle below them. Kensi heard one of the men mention her partner by name and she immediately started listening in.

"Sanders, why is Deeks not on a team? The better question is why isn't he on _my_ team?" This from the older looking gentleman, who they later found out was the owner.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Prater. We've tried several times over the years to sign Marty. He's been offered a multimillion dollar contract on more than one occasion, sir. He refuses every time, says he just plays for fun," the man professed, looking worried that he may lose his job.

"What the hell does this guy do for a living, Jim?" Mr. Prater queried the man.

"You ain't gonna believe this, sir, but Marty is a cop," Jim explained.

"A cop? You gotta be shittin' me! And he won't play ball for a living instead? Is this guy crazy?" Prater scoffed.

The other man standing there seemed to know a lot about Deeks, too. "That isn't the half of it, Mr. Prater. Kip says Marty used to be a lawyer, too. He could still practice law if he chose to," the man, who turned out to be Kip's agent, added. "It's a shame, really. I haven't seen anybody run and gun like Deeks since Magic Johnson and the Lakers did it back in the 80's. He could be one of the biggest stars in the league right along with Brigham."

Sam and Callen looked at Kensi. They both had caught the discussion, too, and all three were now shaking their heads in wonder at their blond haired detective. All of them were gaining a newfound respect for the man they had been working side by side with for the better part of five years.

"A guy who plays pro ball better than most of the players in the league, and he just wants to serve and protect? God love him. If he's as good a cop as he is a ball player, I pity the criminals in this town," Mr. Prater commented with admiration.

The group moved along and their discussion faded. Kensi grinned at the words the man had spoken about her partner. She was realizing how damn proud she was of him and made a mental note to start letting him know. A warm feeling coursed through her as she continued to watch her boyfriend.

As the game drew to a close the NCIS team made their way down to the floor. As they stepped to the edge of the court, Deeks had rebounded a missed shot by his buddy Kip. The teams had made a break for the other end as the shaggy detective rocketed a pass up the court. This time Kip stayed with Deeks. As they crossed the half court line Deeks ended up with the ball again. Brigham was doing his best to steal the ball, but so far was unsuccessful. Deeks dribbled behind his back, switching hands effortlessly as he tried to maneuver around his friend. Kip hung tough, though, sidestepping and effectively blocking the detective's path.

The rest of the players had basically stopped playing as they watched their respective teammates go at it. Kip swiped at the ball a couple more times, but Deeks was able to avoid his attempts at knocking it free. As he noticed everyone standing around watching, a smile grew on his face.

"You're going down, rockstar," Deeks beamed as he looked his friend straight in the eye.

Kip chuckled, "Yeah? Bring it, counselor, let's see what ya got," the star egged him on.

Deeks faked left and then drove to his right, stopping quickly. They were at the top of the key and Deeks kept backing Kip up a step or two and then reversing back a step himself. Finally, Deeks faked left again, but this time he spun to his right and cleared Kip enough that he was able to put up a jumper from just outside the free throw line. Kip made a desperation swipe at the ball but Deeks was too fast. Kip watched helplessly as the ball sailed perfectly through the rim, the net barely moving as Deeks' teammates started whooping it up. Kip smiled, shaking his head as his friend once again bested him on the court. The coaches blew their whistles, ending the scrimmage.

As the players huddled around Deeks and Kip they slowly made their way to the bench. Kensi and the rest of the team watched on as Deeks received congratulations from both his second string team and the opposing players from Kip's. The respect and camaraderie they all showed towards the detective was heartfelt. Deeks' NCIS team, each in their own way, felt a pang of guilt seeing how Deeks was treated by Kip, his teammates, and coaching staff. It was clear that his presence was a welcome one as the members smacked Deeks on the back and gave Kip grief for being burned on the court by his buddy. The smile on the detective's face was carefree, void of any of the day to day stress that he usually tried to hide from Kensi and the others. It struck Kensi that the only other time she ever saw this look on him was when they were at the beach.

"Thanks for joining us today, Detective Deeks. I think." The coach swatted him on the rear as Deeks reached for his bag at the end of the bench. This brought another round of laughs and guffaws from the winning team.

"Thanks for having me. I always appreciate you letting me come in to get a workout with Kip and the guys," Deeks said, his voice genuine. He pulled a towel out of his bag and wiped the sweat from his face.

It was then that he noticed Kensi and the others standing there. Everyone caught the immediate change in his demeanor. His features became guarded. He quickly tried to recover from the surprise of seeing his NCIS family there, but they all caught the look. Kensi kind of hated that this was his reaction to seeing them. She instantly regretted making the trip to check up on him. Sam and Callen shared a glance, feeling the same thing Kensi did. Even Eric and Nell felt it. Nell was about to make a comment to Eric about it when Kip, still shirtless, approached Deeks. Anything she had thought about saying went right out of her head.

"Marty-Mar! Who do we have here? Of course, I recognize your lovely partner," Kip smiled, winking at Kensi before turning to Deeks again, "and she's still _baaad!"_ He whispered not so quietly.

Deeks' face lit up as he laughed off Kip's remark, shaking his head. Kensi felt a slight blush creep up her neck. Callen and Sam both smirked.

Kip turned to Sam, Callen and Eric, nodding at them. His eyes stopped on Nell. Her face went red as he nodded approvingly. "Yo Marty, you didn't tell me you worked with _two_ fine looking women." Kip looked back to Marty, loving the embarrassed look on his friend's face.

Deeks chuckled, bowing his head and shaking it slightly. "Kip, meet Nell." He noticed Nell practically drooling as her eyes ran all over Kip's naked midsection. He didn't miss the irritated, very jealous glare Eric had on his face. "Easy there, Velma," he warned their red haired analyst as Kip pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it gently.

"It's _very_ nice to meet you, Nell," Kip grinned, winking at her.

Nell glanced at Kensi, her eyes wide as Kip let her hand go. She turned her attention back to the star. "It's, um...yeah...the pleasure is all mine," Nell stammered, her face turning a darker shade of red.

Deeks reached out and pushed Kip away from the now giddy analyst. "And this is _her_ _partner_ , Eric," Deeks emphasized, trying to get his point across to his flirting friend, raising his brow.

Kip nodded in understanding as he patted Eric on the shoulder. "Eric, nice to meet you, my man." Eric nodded and smiled slightly. Kip leaned and whispered in Eric's ear, "Be careful of this one, dude. She looks feisty. You let me know if you need any help with that." Eric's face now matched Nell's in the blushing department as Kip stepped back.

"Sorry, man," Deeks offered to Eric as he moved towards Sam and Callen. "And these two round out my team, buddy."

Sam smiled at Kip, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sam Hanna."

Callen smirked as Kip gave Sam's muscles a quick once over. "Sam Hanna, I've heard a lot about you. You keep Marty here in line, huh?"

"Oh, I try. We _all_ try," Sam said with a serious look on his face before finally letting a hint of a smile show again.

"I bet you do. He can be a handful," Kip teased as Deeks pursed his lips, dropping his head.

Deeks pointed to the last of the group. "This is our team leader, G Callen."

Kip shook Callen's hand, nodding to the man. Before he could make any attempt at a vocal acknowledgment, Deeks continued speaking.

"So partner, a night off, yeah?" Deeks gazed at Kensi, his brow raised.

Kensi dropped her gaze to the floor, clearing her throat before looking at him with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, Deeks. I was worried when you left without saying anything."

"It's my fault, Deeks. I tracked your phone," Eric confessed.

"Don't sweat it, man. I'm sure you were... _coerced_ ," he smirked as he glanced towards Kensi.

Eric swallowed hard, glancing at the others, "I was, Deeks, and -"

"Beeaale!" Nell interrupted with a warning tone, tipping her head, as if daring him to continue.

Eric shut up immediately. He pushed his glasses up and smiled weakly at Deeks. Kip reached out and gripped Eric's shoulder to get his attention. The move caught the tech operator off guard and he jumped, turning to face the basketball star.

Kip furrowed his brow and glanced from Eric to Nell and then back to Eric. "See? Feisty!" Kip declared again. A smile a mile wide broke out on his face and he laughed at the look on both of them.

"Come on, dude, give 'em a break," Deeks urged.

"What? I'm just playin'," Kip shrugged innocently. Deeks wasn't having it and Kip picked up on it. "Okay, Marty, I'll stop."

Deeks tipped his head and smirked. "Thank you."

Callen finally spoke after a few moments of awkward silence. "So Deeks, why do you not play ball like that with us?"

"Yeah, Deeks, you let us mop the floor with you, man," Sam chimed in before Deeks could answer. "You got some serious moves!"

The shaggy detective opened his mouth, then closed it again, not sure what to say. He shook his head slowly and shrugged, looking from Callen and Sam, then to Kensi.

Sensing her partner's struggle to find words, Kensi grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, squeezing slightly. Taking a deep breath, she decided then and there to provide Deeks with some much deserved back-up.

"Ha! You guys think Deeks has skills on the court, you should see his moves in the be-" Before she could continue, Sam clamped a big hand over her mouth. Her eyes grew wide and she looked at him, her mismatched eyes sparkling mischievously.

He removed his hand slowly, shaking his head side to side. "No, just...no."

"Really, Kens?" Callen asked sarcastically. "Deeks really has rubbed off on you, hasn't he?"

Sam glared at Callen at his choice of words. "Stop talking, G."

Kensi smirked. "Mmm, yes he has," she said seductively, a gleam in her eyes as she again squeezed her partner's hand.

Callen looked surprised at both Sam and Kensi's comments, then realizing what he said, grimaced and shook his head in mock disgust. This broke the tension between everyone and they all shared in a good laugh. Deeks looked Kensi in the eye, silently thanking her for the support. It was a pleasant surprise from his ladybird, and one he would not soon forget.

Kip made everybody's night with the offer of court side seats for the following night's game. The team accepted graciously. After spending a few more minutes talking with Kip, they split up. Kip headed for the shower, Kensi left with Deeks while the rest of the team rode with Callen in his Benz. The ride was filled with praise and appreciation for their liaison.

* * *

Kip was on fire. It was as if the beating Deeks put on him in practice the night before had awakened something in him. If he kept his current pace up, he would undoubtedly set a new franchise scoring record. Deeks, Kensi, and the others, including Hetty and Granger, sat cheering Kip's team on.

During the second half, the opposing team made a comeback, eventually taking the lead. Kip was getting pissed after missing a few of his shots. Deeks hollered at Kip when he would pass by, reminding him of the night before and how he had success by playing an up-tempo style of ball.

Kensi sat next to Deeks, still not over the display her partner had put on with the team currently out on the court. The comments made between the owner and Kip's agent kept running through her mind. She leaned over and got his attention with a bump of her shoulder.

"I am so proud of you, Deeks."

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow, not used to receiving compliments from Kensi. "What do you want, Princess?" Deeks smirked, expecting a junk food order.

She smiled sheepishly, dropping her eyes from his momentarily, expecting this type of response from him. She shook her head slowly, "Nothing. I...I just wanted to tell you that because...um, because I don't say it enough."

"You never say it," he chuckled, still thinking she was buttering him up for something.

"But I should! You're an amazing man and... and I don't ever want you to think I'm not proud of you. I'm lucky to have you in my life, Deeks."

He blinked hard a couple of times, touched by the sincerity of her words. "Okay, wow... Uh, yeah, wow." Deeks looked away from her for a moment to get his emotions in check, watching the action on the floor. He blew out a breath and faced her again. She was smiling at him.

"Thanks, Kens," he nodded to her.

She nodded back and took his hand in hers, settling in against him as Kip went flying by on his way to an acrobatic slam that put his team back on top.

"Damn! I've never seen anybody score like that!" Sam exclaimed, smacking Callen on the back as they both watched appreciatively.

"I have," Kensi surprised herself, her face blushing at the intent of her comment, not sure the guys would pick up on it. She stole a furtive glance at Deeks. His eyes were lit up, a smirk on his face. Of course, she thought, her partner knew exactly what she was implying. He squeezed her hand gently. Sam and Callen shared a confused look and just shook their heads. Before either of them could comment, they saw Deeks' friend headed towards them on the sideline.

Kip pointed at Deeks on his way back down the floor, shouting as he went by, "Run and gun, baby! Run and gun!"

 _ **THE END**_


End file.
